Recipe: Almond Milk

Home Made Almond Milk

Usually my addiction of baking and interest in food stays somewhat separate from my day job.  But at times it is hard to suppress this passion and my love of trying new things and learning from others.  Simple milk has become quite the debatable topic between myself and a colleague of mine who too, is a fellow fitness freak and foody.  Cows milk, goats milk, soy, almond, full cream, skim, high calcium, A2 - you get the idea.  The debate has raged; processes, additives, preservatives, nutritional benefits, health benefits and of course importantly for me; what works well when baking.  This discussion this week enlivened when he recently brought me in his home made Almond Milk.  It was divine!  It was extremely light (lighter than skim milk), but the creamy element of milk remained.  It had a sweet taste, similar to that of soy milk but left a slight almond after taste.  

Now in terms of some of the debatable points:

• Almonds are naturally very nutritious – rich in vitamin E, manganese, selenium, magnesium, potassium, zinc, iron, fibre, phosphorous and calcium;
• Almond milk doesn't need to be fortified which is why you can make it at home;
• It is high in protein; the typical glass/serving contains about one gram of protein;
• One serving contains about one gram of dietary fibre;
• It is very low in calories; it contains only about 40 calories per serving; and
• It is low in carbs at only two grams per serving.

It is great for those of us who are lactose intolerant and can be easily used as a substitute for most of my emazingly sweet dessert recipes such as custard and panacotta.

The recipe that he used is as follows:

Ingredients:

1 cup of almonds

2 cups of water

Method:

1. Soak your almonds overnight, then drain them;
2. Put it in a food processor or blender; and
3. Strain through cheesecloth or a very fine sieve.

  

Tips

If you want extra flavour add some dates, or a bit of honey.